Marwan Attia, the midfielder of the Egyptian national team and Al-Ahly, revealed the behind-the-scenes preparations of "the Pharaohs" to face Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, confirming that the technical staff led by Hossam Hassan gave the players great confidence before the match, and that everyone entered the match with the goal of achieving victory despite the strength of the opponent.
Marwan Attia said in statements to the program "Fayeq in the World Cup" on MBC Egypt, that his self-confidence was one of the most important reasons for his readiness for the match, explaining: "All the time, as long as you are confident in yourself and do what you have to do, you will play. I do not look at the names of the opponents, because I am used to playing against big players."
He added that Hossam Hassan played an important role on the psychological side, saying: "Captain Hossam Hassan makes you go down to the pitch without fear of any opponent, and you feel as if you are playing an ordinary match, and this makes a big difference."
The Al-Ahly player spoke about his preparations to face Lionel Messi, saying: "I studied Messi well, watched the Inter Miami match, followed the technical analysis, and went into the match confident that we would present a good level, and that we were capable of winning."
Marwan explained that the Egyptian national team tried to maintain the result by relying on defensive organization and counter-attacks, but he acknowledged that conceding goals remains possible against a team the size of Argentina, pointing out that the speed of the opponents' players imposed a great physical effort on the "Pharaohs" players.
The midfielder recalled the difficult moments after conceding the third goal, saying: "After the third goal, we were in a state of shock, because everything changed suddenly. We sat inside the pitch and no one was able to speak, and we did not want to leave the pitch."
Marwan also commented on the controversial goal scene, explaining: "The Argentine player was trying to pass next to Mohamed Hani, and I moved to dispossess the ball and touched his foot, and in a similar scene Mohamed Salah was subjected to a challenge inside their penalty area, but the referee did not award anything, because Salah does not fall easily."
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